jgzo.] Farm Drainage Machinery. 1083 



the depth of the cut. The conveyer is driven direct by a com- 

 bined cog and carrying wheel that runs along the bottom of the 

 ditch. It is claimed that the smaller machine (Fig. 6) with two 

 men and two horses will dig 300 to 400 yards of ditch per day 

 (7 in. wide, 3 ft. 7 in. to 4 ft. deep) ; and the larger machine 

 (Fig. 7) with four horses and three men, 400 to 600 yards per day 

 (12 in. wide, 4 ft. deep). The smaller machine has been tried 

 very successfully in England, both under easy conditions and 

 in stiff clay. It is understood that near Boston, Lines, working 

 in hght, loamy soil with a sandy bottom, the machine with 

 two horses cut a trench 130 yards long and 3 ft. 6 in. deep in 

 I J hours, and with a Fordson tractor cut 100 yards 3 ft. deep in 



Fig. 7. — Swedish Excax-ator (large size). 



half an hour. The present price of the smaller machine in 

 this country is about £40. 



2. Wheel and Endless Chain Excavators. — ^These machines are 

 used b}^ contractors and persons having a large amount of 

 farm tile-drainage to do. To meet successfully varying soil 

 and other conditions and to avoid breakage and loss of time, 

 machines must be capable of digging exactly to a determined 

 gradient, be free from mechanical trouble and resistant to 

 heavy overload. The machines consist of a strong, rigid 

 frame and platform carrying the engine and gears, and are 

 so designed as to be self-propeUing. Internal combustion 

 engines are generally used, though steam engines and boilers 

 are often preferred. The digging attachments are so mounted 

 and hinged to the moving platform that they may be raised 

 or lowered by the operator in securing the depth desired. 

 Levers are so arranged that the depth of excavation can be 

 accurately controlled by the person operating the machine. 

 An arm or gauge is attached to the digging frame in order 



